History of Demerara — 1763. 255 
Rodney, (his very good friend), was obliged to return 
to England shortly, he had much against his inclination 
sent for the roo marines and seamen he had lent my 
father for the protection of the colonies, and those troops 
were already arrived at Barbadoes. He says also that 
he is afraid he shall not be able to keep the Barbados 
Volunteers at Demerary much longer, as they say, they 
see no prospeCt of being succoured by those to whom 
the colony belongs, and they will not be sacrificed on 
their account. My father's weight with them, and the 
money he has distributed among them, have kept them 
there till now, and he hopes he shall be able to keep them 
some little time longer. In the meantime he is obliged 
to vi6tual them, and in short keeps them there merely by 
threats, arguments, and the force of money. This is a 
disagreeable circumstance, and I must say a good deal 
occasioned by the backwardness if not the pusilanimity 
of some of the inhabitants, who are frightened out of their 
wits ; and I will take upon me to say further that their 
puerile behaviour had liked to have occasioned a revolt 
in our colony. Many flew to the mouth of the Demerary 
as soon as they heard of the insurrection at Berbice. 
Mr. Samuel Carter, and my father, and my managers, 
with a few others, put their plantations in a posture of 
defence long before my father's reinforcements arrived. 
But had they given ground in the same manner as the 
others, nothing could have saved the colony, for our own 
negroes would have done the same as at Berbice and in 
a few days have joined. I could say a great deal on this 
subject but it is not immediately my duty so to do. 
However I must inform your Excellency that the colony 
is still on a ticklish footing, and unless some vigorous 
